Bullfrog Power Brings New Choice to British Columbians

COMMENT: A month ago, Bullfrog Power announced that it would be selling green electricity in British Columbia. (See the company's news release, below, "Bullfrog Power Brings New Choice to British Columbians", March 24, 2009).

If Bullfrog Power intends to do business in BC, it should rethink everything, from the ecological significance of its name in this province to the redundancy of its product. Doesn't leave it with much, does it?

News Release
Bullfrog Power
March 24, 2009

Bullfrog PowerTM launches 100 per cent low-impact, renewable electricity offering in B.C.

Vancouver, March 24, 2009 — Bullfrog Power, Canada’s leading provider of 100 per cent green electricity, announced today that it is now offering British Columbia residents and businesses a new way to take a stand in support of low-impact renewable electricity and reduce their environmental impact. Bullfrog provides British Columbians with the first and only choice to support new wind power.

Bullfrog Power is the only company that allows all British Columbians to choose to support low-impact renewable electricity rather than electricity from higher impact hydroelectric generation facilities or greenhouse gas-emitting electricity from fossil fuel-powered sources. When B.C. homes and businesses become “bullfrogpoweredTM”, Bullfrog ensures that low-impact renewable electricity is injected into the electricity grid to match the amount of power consumed.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer a new choice to British Columbians that allows them to take a stand for low-impact renewable energy,” said Tom Heintzman, President, Bullfrog Power. “Consumer choice is a powerful force for change. Bullfrog has already used the collective demand of its customers to cause five new wind power facilities to be built in Ontario and Alberta and our goal is to do the same in British Columbia.”

The generation facilities supplying Bullfrog Power are all certified under Environment Canada’s EcoLogoM program to ensure that they are emissions free and have a minimal impact on the environment. With the support and growing demand of Bullfrog customers, Bullfrog Power’s goal is to advance the development of new wind power in B.C., just as it has in Ontario and Alberta. To date, 8,000 homes and 900 businesses in Ontario and Alberta have provided the demand for five new wind generation projects. At launch in B.C., twenty per cent of Bullfrog’s power mix will come from wind generation facilities located in Pincher Creek, Alberta, and the remainder will come from low-impact hydro in B.C.

Several businesses have already “bullfrogpowered” some or all of their operations in B.C., including Walmart Canada, TD Bank Financial Group, BMO Financial Group, RBC Financial Group, The Lark Group, Moksha Yoga, Coastal Ford, Good Earth Cafés, Halsall, Christie Lites, WWF-Canada, Urban Barn, Fraser Health, The Pembina Institute, Left Coast Naturals, the David Suzuki Foundation, Salt Spring Coffee, Ethical Bean Coffee, Junxion Strategy, KineSYS Pharmaceuticals, Eclipse Awards, Co-operative Auto Network, Design HQ, Frogfile, Frog on the Bog, Green Table Network and Saul Good Gift Co.

TD Bank Financial Group has made a significant commitment to Bullfrog Power in B.C., expanding on existing agreements in Ontario and Alberta, by bullfrogpowering all of its business operations in British Columbia, including 139 TD Canada Trust branches and its network of automated bank machines.

“TD was the first bank in Canada to commit to going carbon neutral and we have set that goal for 2010,” said Raymond Chun, Senior Vice President, Pacific Region, TD Canada Trust. “We believe the environment and the economy are closely linked, and our partnership with Bullfrog is an important investment that supports both TD’s social and environmental efforts and Canada’s renewable energy industry and its continued development.”

British Columbia households have also begun to sign on with Bullfrog.

“I want to make choices that help to create a cleaner and healthier planet for me, my kids and future generations,” said Ian McSorley, a Vancouver homeowner. “That’s why I chose to bullfrogpower my home with clean, renewable electricity. It’s one simple action I can take to make a difference.”

Several prominent environmental organizations have chosen to support low-impact renewable energy with Bullfrog Power. The David Suzuki Foundation, WWF-Canada and The Pembina Institute have all bullfrogpowered their operations in B.C. In addition, Bullfrog Power partners with these organizations to educate Canadians about the environmental and health benefits of clean, renewable power.

“In order to solve critical issues such as climate change, Canada will need to make a significant shift toward renewable energy sources,” said Peter Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, The David Suzuki Foundation. “Bullfrog Power provides individuals and businesses in British Columbia with a simple but powerful way to take a lead in supporting the development of renewable energy and reducing their own environmental impact.”

Bullfrog Power is also pleased to once again partner with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) as a community sponsor for The 2009 JUNO Awards. This year, in addition to all JUNO Awards Weekend Events, Bullfrog will provide low-impact renewable electricity for the television broadcast, which airs live on CTV, March 29, 2009, from Vancouver B.C.

Contact Bullfrog Power

To arrange interviews with a Bullfrog representative or any of Bullfrog Power's commercial customers, please contact

Meghan Ney
Media Relations Specialist, Bullfrog Power
Tel: 416.360.3464 ext 221
Mobile: 416-648-5453
meghan.ney@bullfrogpower.com

Mary Sturgeon, Junxion Strategy
Tel: 604.263.0303
Mobile: 604.831.6516
mary@junxionstrategy.com

About Bullfrog Power

Bullfrog Power is Canada’s leading 100 per cent green electricity provider. Founded in 2005, Bullfrog Power is the only company providing everyone in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia with a 100 per cent low-impact renewable electricity choice. Bullfrog Power supplies bullfrogpowered customers exclusively from wind and hydro facilities that have been certified by Environment Canada under its EcoLogoM program instead of from carbon-intensive sources like coal and natural gas or higher impact hydro facilities. Bullfrog Power customers are providing the demand to enable new generation facilities to be built in Canada. Thousands of Canadian homeowners and hundreds of businesses have made the decision to become bullfrogpowered™.

www.bullfrogpower.com

http://www.bullfrogpower.com/09releases/bc_launch.cfm

Tiny Bullfrog Power making a mark

Sells pricey energy to those who want a green feeling

This is Energy Conservation Week and, once again, the green frog has leaped into the spotlight.

The cartoon amphibian is the logo of Bullfrog Power, the purveyor of "green" electricity that in less than three years has made itself synonymous with renewable power, despite being a tiny swimmer in Ontario's energy pond.

The company handles a minuscule fraction of the electricity generated in the province – just three ten-thousandths of a per cent, or 0.0003. Yet, it's de rigueur for those who wish to be on the side of the environmental angels to announce they're "bullfrogpowered." Among recent high-profile clients: the Nelly Furtado Earth Hour concert, three York Region civic buildings and condo builder TAS DesignBuild.

The company's curious growth strategy relies on getting consumers to pay a 50 per cent premium for electricity, without any promise of paybacks or government rebates. Their only reward is the warm, fuzzy feeling they've helped to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

"I do see it as remarkable. It never would have happened five or six years ago," Rob Wilson, a marketing professor at Ryerson University, said of the company's success.

Like the evening cacophony produced by puny spring peepers, Bullfrog, a privately held, for-profit company, makes a marketing noise that belies its 30-person size.

The Conservation Week news: It has joined EnWise Power Solutions, which provides energy-saving home retrofits, to offer customers discounts on each other's services.

From the start, Bullfrog has followed the lesson preached by U.S. marketing guru Seth Godin – in a field of black and white Holsteins a purple cow gets all the attention.

"We tried to create something unique," president Tom Heintzman said during an interview in the company's new offices at Spadina Ave. and Adelaide St., where the décor is smart, the office furniture second-hand and the space large enough for the company to grow.

"First and foremost was to create a product that's as environmental as we could get it, and attractive to consumers. Then, we tried to create a company that would be different from the standard utility."

How different? About 700 people showed up last October for the company's second annual Bullfrog Bash.

"When was the last time anyone went to a party for their utility?" Heintzman asked.

Like Direct Energy and other providers, Bullfrog buys power in bulk and resells it, with the energy going into the grid, not directly to customers' homes. But unlike other resellers, all its electricity comes from wind-powered or small hydro generating stations.

Homeowners pay 8.9 cents per kilowatt-hour (the amount of energy needed to keep 10 100-watt bulbs burning 60 minutes). Most of us pay no more than 5.9 cents, the current standard price set by the Ontario Energy Board.

As of last month, those in apartments or condos, whose hydro bills are embedded in rent payments or maintenance fees, can have their consumption estimated, then shell out 3.5 cents per kilowatt-hour to Bullfrog – again, for nothing in return other than a fuzzy feeling.

The company charges the higher rate because it's selling expensive power. To encourage renewable sources of electricity, the province generally pays green energy providers 11 cents a kilowatt-hour. To compete, Bullfrog must match or exceed that price, Heintzman said. Bullfrog also invests in new renewable-energy projects.

"It's the nature of creating a green market," said Heintzman, a lawyer who spent three years with the advocacy group Sierra Legal Defence (now EcoJustice). "We're prepared to pay generators more than the market rate, which allows them to increase their return on capital and get into projects that otherwise might not be economic."

Despite the green frog's prominence, only about 6,000 residential customers and 600 businesses and government agencies have signed on. That lets the company support the generation of less than 10 megawatts of electricity – not even a flicker in the province's total capacity of about 31,000.

"Our revenues aren't yet enough to sustain the business," said Heintzman.

It's not for a lack of creating buzz, achieved partly by mimicking non-profit organizations. If they choose, its customers are listed on its website as Founders Club members.

"It's not only to publicly recognize them, but it's also important to promote the sense of collective action," Heintzman said.

The club, "is part of the branding," said Peter Clarke of environmental consultants ICF International. "It's helping you to feel good instead of just getting a bill. You're not just buying a commodity, you're part of something."

But doubters wonder if Bullfrog will keep attracting customers if the economy sinks. After all, Clarke noted that Bullfrog isn't the cheapest way to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Its customers spend about $127 for each tonne of reductions. That's nearly four times the current price for carbon offsets on the international market – money that is invested in reforestation, efficient stoves, solar power or other projects in developing countries.

Some customers do all they can to cut consumption before buying from Bullfrog. But, like offsets, for others it can amount to a guilt payment: Use as much electricity as ever but keep a clean conscience because your supply is green.

Heintzman says it's all to the good: The more customers he has, the more Ontario moves away from conventional electricity.

He remains convinced people will keep buying what Bullfrog is selling.

"We're just scratching the surface, moving from start-up to adolescence. There's a lot of growth to do."